Thursday, June 3, 2010

A cut flower bouquet can be a wonderful gift but there are times when it is better to send a flower arrangement in a vase, basket, or other container rather than a cut flower bouquet.

Some helpful hints to consider are:

-Most hospitals will not accept a bouquet that is not in a vase. They do not have the time or staff to arrange flowers nor do they keep a supply of vases on hand.

-Cut flowers should never be sent for a funeral whether it is for the service or for the family at home.When people are grieving the loss of a loved one the last thing they want to worry about is finding vases and arranging flowers. A beautiful floral arrangement would be greatly appreciated in this case.

-Does the person you are sending flowers to like to arrange flowers or would they prefer that the flowers are already arranged and all they have to do is enjoy them?

-Flowers should be in water at all times to ensure a long life. If they are out of water for a short time they should be re-cut before placing in water because the stems will partially harden and block the flow of water resulting in a shorter life. This is why so many people that order from wire services that ship flowers by Fed Ex are very disappointed when the flowers finally arrive.

However, when you order from a local florist there are many things we can do to make the gift a pure delight.

We deliver cut bouquets in water at all times until they are presented to the recipient with floral food and instructions. We also call first to make sure the person will be home for the delivery unlike Fed Ex who simply leave the box of flowers at the door.

The recipient frequently says they will be in and out all day and ask us to leave the bouquet at their doorstep. We will only leave flowers at the door with a request from the recipient if they are arranged in a vase or other container with a water source or we will explain that it is a cut bouquet and ask them to leave a container of water at their door .This way the life of the flowers is not cut short due to improper handling.

We also pre-arrange all our bouquets and present them in floral cones or hand tied so that all the recipient has to do is place them in water in their own vase. They are able to enjoy the flowers immediately rather than trying to arrange them so that they will look their best.

At Artistry in Bloom we have just brought in Blumeboxes so that bouquets can be delivered to businesses or homes without the possibility of being left out of water.The blumebox is not a vase. It is a one time solution for delivering bouquets with a water source.It is shaped like a vase and lined with a thick plastic bag which is half filled with water.The Blumebox is recyclable and can be plain or dressed with ribbon or even feather collars.You can see examples of our cut flower bouquets in the Classy Cuts section as well as seasonal monthly bouquets in our Holiday and Monthly section of our website- http://www.flowerartisan.com/